Platanthera chlorantha
Encyclopedia
Platanthera chlorantha, commonly known as the Greater Butterfly-orchid, is a species of orchid in the genus Platanthera
. It can be found throughout Europe and Morocco
. The name Platanthera is derived from Greek, meaning "broad anthers", while the species name, chlorantha, means "greenflowered".
The Greater Butterfly Orchid is a perennial of medium height. Its leaves are broad, shiny and elliptical, with a large pair at the base, and much smaller, more lanceolate leaves up the stem. The flowers are greenish-white, scented of vanilla
, with spreading sepals and petals. The lip of the flower is long, narrow and undivided. The flower has a very long spur. The flowers form a rather loose spike. The pollen masses diverge to touch both sides of the pollinating insect. Flowering in Britain is in June to July, earlier in the south of Europe. The plant is found in woods, open scrub, and grassland including on chalk.
Its world distribution is broadly endemic to Europe: from the British Isles in the west to European Russia and the Caucasus in the east; and from the coastal region of Norway to 65°N, down to the whole of Italy and the Balkans excluding most of Greece. There are scattered outliers in Spain, Turkey, and North Africa.
Platanthera
The genus Platanthera belongs to the subfamily Orchidoideae of the family Orchidaceae, and comprises about 100 species of orchids. The members of this genus were previously included in the genus Orchis, which is a close relative . They are distributed throughout the temperate regions of the...
. It can be found throughout Europe and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. The name Platanthera is derived from Greek, meaning "broad anthers", while the species name, chlorantha, means "greenflowered".
The Greater Butterfly Orchid is a perennial of medium height. Its leaves are broad, shiny and elliptical, with a large pair at the base, and much smaller, more lanceolate leaves up the stem. The flowers are greenish-white, scented of vanilla
Vanilla
Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla . The word vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod...
, with spreading sepals and petals. The lip of the flower is long, narrow and undivided. The flower has a very long spur. The flowers form a rather loose spike. The pollen masses diverge to touch both sides of the pollinating insect. Flowering in Britain is in June to July, earlier in the south of Europe. The plant is found in woods, open scrub, and grassland including on chalk.
Its world distribution is broadly endemic to Europe: from the British Isles in the west to European Russia and the Caucasus in the east; and from the coastal region of Norway to 65°N, down to the whole of Italy and the Balkans excluding most of Greece. There are scattered outliers in Spain, Turkey, and North Africa.
